BELGIAN STRIKES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 207, 15 June 1936, Page 5

BELGIAN STRIKES

MINERS AND GENERAL STOPPAGE CONFERENCE PROVES FRUITLESS OWNERS REJEOT DEMANDS. United Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 8.55 a.m.) BRUSSELS, June 14. After a further conference, at which the coalowners rejected the miners’ demand for an increase of 10 per cent, in pay, the miners announced that a general strike would begin to—morrow. TROOPS 0N POLICE DUTY. BRUSSELS, June 13. The Premier (M. :Paul van Zeeland) has formed a Cabinet consisting of six Socialists, three Liberals, and five Catholics. The strike fever is spreading. The Government mobilised a. reserye corps of gendarmes to prevent the occupation of factories. The strike situation was so grave that the King urgently summoned M. van Zeeland to the palace again and asked him to try to form {a Government. M. van Zeeland promised to do his utmost to have a Government by to—day which would “face the situation fearlessly.” The King personally appealed to the Catholic, Socialist, and Liberal leaders to support M. van Zeeland. Troops have taken over police duties at Antwerp, where 15,000 dockers and 2000 diamond—cutters are on strike. The coal strike at Liege has spread to large fields around Mons. M. van Zeeland’s Cianhinet includes the Socialist leader, M. Emile Vander—velde, as vice-president of the council. The programme is selected from the best of each party’s programme at the recent election. It aims at the sim-plicatio-n of legislation and finance, the completion of economic reconstruc~ tion, the cleaning up of politics, the control. of munition works and. of monopolies such as electricity. It will consider the demand for a 40-hour week, especially in dangerous or un—healthy trades, but M, van Zeeland urges that it should not be generally adopted until other industrial nations have internationally agneed on it.

N 0 CARGO BOATS FROM l ANTWERP.

TUG HANDS BUPPORT DOCKERS

(Received This Day, 8.55 a.m.) ' ANTWERP, June E 4.

Tug hands finned the étriking dockers and refused to assiSt cargo vessels to leave port.

GUARDS AT TOWN HALLS. MEASURES T 0 PR-EISEBVE ORDER. WARNING SOUNDED BY BUGLERS PARIS, June 13. The most important individual settlement was the signature of a collective contract at the Ministry of the Interior by employers and employees of the metallurgical industry. A significant development was the occupation of all the town halls in Paris by armed mobile guards, who, however, are gendarmes, not soldiers, This action resulted from a conference between M. Blum and M. Salenoro and the Police Prefect (M. La Geron), which determined on the preservation of order at all costs. M. Blum declared in the Chamber of Deputies that the Government was determined to enforce public order, in View of the impression that suspicious external influences are operating, resulting in increased nervousness and a tendency toward panic. The guarding of every strategic point in the city demonstrates the anxiety of the Government to prevent rioting. B-uglers of the mobile guards are on duty at the Montmartre-Drouot crossroads ready to sound the firing alarm, namely, three warning blasts, neglect of which by the crowds .pro—duces a final blast, after which. the guards are legally entitled to fire. Similar tense conditions prevail in all the great industrial areas. Many members of the Ci‘oix de Fen perambulated the streets of Paris on the pretence of preserving order, but the police refused their aid and arrested many. The Bourse is steady, but the franc has depreciated from 76.28 to 76.39.